Death toll from contaminated grain rises to 51

The death toll amongst people who recently ate contaminated grain in three Kenyan districts has risen to 51, the Ministry of Health said on Monday. The grain had been contaminated with aflatoxin, a poisonous fungus that grows on cereals harvested or stored under damp conditions, it added. A total of 97 cases had been reported in the districts of Makueni, Kitui and Thika since 6 May, a statement issued in Nairobi by the Chief Public Health Officer, Alfred Langat, said. At least 34 deaths occurred in Makueni, the district where 58 of the total reported cases occurred. According to the ministry, poisoning had occurred after consumption of the contaminated food on which the fungi had grown because the grain was either harvested before it was dry or had been poorly stored or transported. Exposure to large amounts of aflatoxin over a short period causes acute liver damage and subsequent death, while the ingestion of small amounts over a longer period can cause a cancer of the liver, the ministry statement added. It said medical officials in the affected districts had been put on high alert and had launched an awareness campaign to prevent further spread of the problem. The government had also distributed maize, beans and vegetable oils to people in the most affected areas of Kitui and Makueni. At the same time, residents of the affected districts had been advised to harvest grain and legumes only when they were completely dry, and to ensure sieving before storage in dry and well ventilated stores where the foodstuffs would be protected from pests and vermin. They had also been warned against eating food that had changed colour or had moulds. Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning included yellow eyes, vomiting, abdominal and leg swelling, general weakness, drowsiness, coma and death, the statement said.